Latest: Gov. Hochul, under pressure to address crime, removes NYC police chief.
In 2020, Mayor Adams famously stopped police officers from detaining an anti-vaxxer protester in Midtown Manhattan. A video of what happened quickly went viral as the city roiled with protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
On Thursday, the police commissioner then was transferred to the post of head of departments that oversee city parks and the city’s housing authority.
Following several of the city’s most explosive crime weeks, Mayor Eric Adams, perhaps anticipating the backlash, came out in support of his top cop. The next morning, the mayor backed off, and during a meeting in the Bronx with police officials and union heads, he took responsibility.
“I take everybody’s concerns, and I have my own lens, as a former police officer, as someone who believes in crime prevention,” the mayor said in the Bronx meeting.
Also during the meeting, the mayor said that he agreed to listen to suggestions to replace Mr. Shea. At least seven executives at the department are being considered, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting’s discussions. The person said the list included the chief of detectives and the head of counterterrorism.
The decision to transition Mr. Shea to a less public-facing post shows how much pressure was mounting to alter course. In recent weeks, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and the police chief’s former deputy at the department, Philip T. Banks, called for a change in leadership.
The article outlines events leading up to the removal of NYC Police Chief Shea, including Shea’s actions in detaining an anti-vaxxer in 2020 and the recent crime wave in the city. Mayor Adams initially supported Shea but ultimately took responsibility for the situation and agreed to listen to suggestions for replacing him. The article also mentions the police chief’s former deputy and Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright calling for a leadership change.
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